Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-03-19
OLD GRIDLEY'S GHOST.

~ "ny Duhnam, what's the matter?
How your hand trembles Are you sick ~
NO; not exactly"
what aiis you then2 Speak out. man.
Have YOU been seeing a ghost?n
.,'lp tell the truth, Maggie, 1 do feel
a little nervous this morning. haven't
made a trip these twenty years that
dreaded like this"
! ''Seen Old GIidlcy again?"
"Yes.n
"Pshawl I thought that was it.
Haven't you seen him dozen times be-
fore and nothing came it?"
This time he had his sextant."
All this was at the breakfast table.
Dunham was mate of the Orc Fino, max
ing tri-monthly trips between Portland
and San Francisco. He had sailed thirty
years, been round the world twice, been
captain about six years, but lost his ship
and couldn't get another, and so was
glad to be First Mate of the Orc Fino.
Dunham had habit of seeing ghosts.
or, rather, ghost, for he never saw but
one; that was old Gridley. Gridlev
was mate Of the vessel on which Dunham
made his first trip as ship-boy. That
trip was Dunham's first, but Gridley's
last. Gridley had a passion for beating
ships boys with ropes end. Gridley
was taking an observation with the SEX
tant, and, as the boy was passing him
with bucket and swab, sudden 1urch
OF the ship threw him against the mate.
Grldley seized ropes end, and was be-
laboring the boy soundly when a boom,
providentially left loose, struck him and
Knocked him overheard Ever since that,
on numerous occasions Dunham had seen
(srldley's ghost-usually with a ropes
end, but sometimes with a sextant. He
had never been able to see any particular
fatality portended by the vision with the
ropes end. He had seen it a dozen
times; and, on some occasions, his hest
luck had seemed to follow the apparition.
Not so when the ghost with the sextant
appeared. He had seen this only twice
lonce, the night before he fell from the
foretop and broke his leg; the other time,
the night before his ship was cast away.
Last night was the third time He had
walked up and found himself lying on his
back. The room was perfectly dark: it
was also perfectly STILL Dunham could
see. nothing and could hear nothing.
Nevertheless, he felt that something or
somebody was in the room that ought to
be out of it. He also felt draught of
| cold air. Dunham was no stickler for
ventilated apartments, and had carefully
closed and locked the windows before re-
firing. The air could not come from
the windows; neither could it come from
the bedroom door, for that opened into
the sitting room just opposite to win
dow, and if the door had been open he
could have seen the window. Despite
his natural courage, Dunham was fright
! ened. He raised himself on his elbow
very cautiously. He looked about the
room; he could see absolutely nothing.
He reached over to where Maggie, his
wife, slept-she was there. He moist
ened his finger in his mouth and held it
up. He could then sensibly feel the
draft of air coming from the foot of his
bed. He got up and struck a light.
Looking over his shoulder as he did so,
he saw, at the foot Of his bed, old Gridley.
1t would do no good to shout aloud-his
wife would only laugh at him. He had
often walked her up to look at the ghost,
but she professed never to see it. 1t
would do no good to go up to the appari-
tion and try to seize it-he had often
done this, and it only disappeared for an
instant to reappear in another part of the
room. So he left the lamp burning and
got into bed with his eyes fixed on the
figure.
This time Gridley had his sextant, and
seemed busy bringing an imaginary sun
down to an imaginary horizon The
operation completed, the figure turned to
the bureau and seemed to be making the
calculation Then he turned to Dun
ham, and shook his head negatively, and
dashed the sextant to the floor. A sud-
den crack startled the mate. He had
turned the lampwick too high, and the
chimney had cracked and fallen to the
floor.
In the morning Dunham was a little
nervous. However, having taken cup
or two Of strong coffee, felt more com
posed. II
joey Dunham, the mates only child, a
boy Of ten years of age, almost always ac-
companied his father on his trips. This
time Dunham proposed TO leave him at
home; but the boy seemed so disap-
pointed that his father finally gave way,
and they started together down to the
steamer
| Joey was perfectly at home, and while
his father was busy, stole up into the
wheelhouse, which had incautiously been
left unlocked. The wheelman, coming
along soon after, met Joey stealing down
the steps, looking scared and guilty.
In an hour the Oro Fino was at the
mouth Of the Willamette, and struck the
strong, full current of the Columbia.
Having more sea-room now, she began TO
use her strength. The flames roar
through the fues; the engineer turns on
full head Of steam; the clear, sweet wa
ter Of the river. cut clean and neat by the
prov. is dashed into snowy foam by the
paddles, and sinks and rises in swell
| In. ,rnke for half a lnile TO the stern